Dialogue lab - an open innovation lab in primary health care in Sweden

Purpose and goal

The purpose was to build an open meeting place for co-creative innovation at a new health centre where innovations to strengthen and clarify the patient´s position were tested. The project has fulfilled the overall goal related to creating conditions for/building a new type of open activity where the focus for development is the need of the health center´s customers. However, the project did not achieve the project objectives related to following and evaluating several different “tests” in the model for work process that was built up before the core business was up and running.

Expected results and effects

Effects at unit level are expected to be related to the knowledge built up among employees to conduct needs-based business development and involve patients in this work. DialogLab will continue to be run on the basis of collaboration and touch on activities that involve all primary health care centres at the regional level, which is then expected to lead to increased opportunities for the dissemination of working methods and results.

Planned approach and implementation

The DialogLab project has been run in the region of Sörmland, Sweden. As support, new skills: service designers and cognitive scientists, employed. These people have contributed with new perspectives, working methods and tools that have lifted the work of creating a broader, more efficient and more person-centered range of services for Vårdcentralen Gallerian´s patients. The location of the lab at a health center has been positive regarding proximity to test surfaces. One disadvantage was that the lab did not have a mission to pursue overall development issues at the regional level.